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Firefighters will be burning down a five-story home at the end of Fritz Cove Road on Saturday as part of a training exercise.
The cul-de-sac where the house is located, 990 Otter Run, off of Fox Farm Trail, will be closed to the public during the event.
Capital City Fire & Rescue Fire Training Officer Nathan Young says the public will be able to get a good view of the burn from North Douglas near the boat launch before False Outer Point.
“It’s going to be spectacular,” Young said.
CCFR will be doing a number of small training fires in the house in the morning beginning at 8 a.m., but the best viewing time for the public will be from a little before 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Young says that’s when CCFR will “let it go.”
The house was donated to CCFR from Juneau resident David MacDonald. His sister Janet MacDonald says that a new, smaller home will be built in its place a couple of years down the road.
The fire department receives about four to five offers to burn homes each year, but it’s rare that CCFR can take them up on their offer since there are special safety and regulatory requirements in place from multiple different agencies. An example would be the home cannot be near a power line or another home.
The last time CCFR conducted a live fire training drill at a home was about two and a half years ago in North Douglas, Young said.
Some 40 to 50 firefighters, both rookies and veterans, will be partaking in Saturday’s live drill.
• Contact reporter Emily Russo Miller at 523-2263 or at emily.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (26)
Add commentIf that house...
...is a throw-away, I can think of about 500 other houses in Juneau that are candidates for the next fire training exercise...including mine.
I guess it's an example of the land being worth far more than the house that's on it.
What a waste of a perfectly
What a waste of a perfectly good house.
I wish I had that kind of
I wish I had that kind of money to waste.
Most Likely
If you investigated the offer you would find that the house either has structural issues or is not a reasonable investment for it to be around for the next 20 years. Bad memories perhaps, I'm glad it will be used as a great tool to teach with. Thank you owners your gift has many valuable qualities to it.
I can think of a house around
I can think of a house around 3100 Nowell that could be burned down.
According to the CBJ Assessors Office...
990 Otter Run
Year Built: 1968
Total Value: $837,200
Building Value: $417,200
So David MacDonald is getting a $417,200 tax deduction this year, and he doesn't have to pay for the demolition, and most of the house will go up in smoke so there isn't much to haul away.
Shame
Wish I had a house that big out there... You can bet I wouldn't be burning it down.
I'm torn between feeling grateful the CCFR can have hands on training and the pure disgust of the waste when people need housing.
Want to throw away your money let a family in need live there rent free for a while. Just make them pay utilities.
"It’s going to be
"It’s going to be spectacular,” Young said.
I think people can become desensitized by their job duties, because watching a home burn down is not spectacular to most people.
I think we need to make sure our first responders get training so they are not desensitized to the feelings of others.
That's not very neighborly
of you Rough Cut.....
"but the best viewing time
"but the best viewing time for the public"
Offering it up for show to the public?
Do we not already have a problem with people setting fires in Juneau? This seems to be saying that fire setting as an activity is ok and it is really fun to watch.
Toxins?
Many of the lower 48 fire fighters stopped doing this kind thing years ago. The amount of toxins released into the air and water run off is significant. I am surprised it is allowed here.
Good point, Jan
But think of it this way. Invite the public to come watch. Then take careful note of who actually shows up. THEY are the ones most likely to be pyros, so put them on a special Pyro Watch List.
Consider this burn project 'pyro-bait'.
orion
I'm with you. If I lived nearby I'd be wondering if they were burning lead paint or vinyl or other nasties that will end up on my property.
But OTOH, this is an opportunity for the fire responders to get some hands-on training, and that's worth a lot. Could be your house they have to respond to next.
Out of touch..
Where I grew up they had salvage yards and places where you could buy used lumber and other used items. This is a gross example of our throw away society!
I agree with orionsbowl.
I agree with orionsbowl.
Air quality in the valley was REALLY bad this summer. Too many people out burning wet wood, yard waste etc... now this? Is CBJ prepared to cover our health care bills?
How about the 40-50 firefighters hauling out the wood and pulling nails so the wood can be salvaged?
40+ years old and we don't
40+ years old and we don't know what problems the house may have - mold, structural, foundation, asbestos, sewer and water, etc.
Rest assured the bases have been covered - "The fire department receives about four to five offers to burn homes each year, but it’s rare that CCFR can take them up on their offer since there are special safety and regulatory requirements in place from multiple different agencies."
It won't be "free" to the homeowners either, I'm guessing. There's probably been mitigation work going on for some time to get the place ready to burn. Many things may also have been salvaged.
But, remember this - isn't it great to live in America where we still have private property rights?!
@Rough Cut: I don't normally
@Rough Cut: I don't normally respond to you, since you're more like a child trying to get a rise out of his mother than you are a serious commenter, but a lot of people think like you and fail to realize that it's impossible for a private property owner to contain the smoke and runoff that burning a house would create to his private property. Maybe, just maybe, that's the reason why a person might not be able to do what he wants on his own property.
Jan, its goingto be
Jan, its goingto be spectacular as a training event. Its not that often that they have to respond to a major home fire, thankfully. Would you rather that they figure it out on the fly when they are trying to save your family? Surgeons can practice on cadavers, other animal carcasses etc. There really is no substitute for learning how to battle a major house fire than working on a major house fire. Get over it.That isnt that nice of a house. Big, yes, but maybe, just maybe there are reasons.Maybe he was nice and rented it out cheap and they trashed it... Maybe it is sliding off its foundation... There are millions of reasons that it could be condemned. It is great that he is willing to let it be used for training. That kind of training is invaluable and I an excited that they will be that much more proficient if I should ever need their services!
I rented 990 Otter Run for 6
I rented 990 Otter Run for 6 years, moving out in May. David MacDonald kept the home in excellent shape. Even though the square footage is large, the layout works only for a single person, or a couple at most. The property is one of the best in Juneau. A more efficient home with a more practical layout will work better for the family. Remodeling the current structure just won't work.
PP
You should know better than to feed the troll.
Just Ignore, Thumb Down, and move along. Nothing to see there.
40+ years and the building is still valued at $417K?
(equal to the property).
Works well for a single or couple?
Must be the neighborhood.
Smart idea to upgrade. Bump it up a few hundred thousand.
What do you think?
Should everyone with an old fiberglass boat get to burn them or is it 27 cents a pound at the dump? What about an old house on Starr Hill. Is this guy getting a tax deduction to donate his house instead of paying to rip it down and salvage whats useful? The owner should pay CCFR what a tear down would cost!
I think, all in all, this is
I think, all in all, this is a good thing for the fire department. I'd just like to salvage the stone fireplace......